2009年9月3日木曜日

Japanese who love Gaijins & Americans who love Japanese

Now it seems that we have more people who are interested in Japanese cultures because of the rising popularity of anime, manga and other Japanese pop cultures. However, in '80s & '90s those kinds were much fewer. Vast majority of Americans had, and still most of them have, a very little or no interest in Japan, Japanese people or Japanese culture, which meant that they might have been a little different when I met some people who said that they were very into Japanese or any other Asian cultures.Frankly speaking, some of them were, and probaly still, sort of weirdos.I do not want to offend any Japan loving Gaijins,but again until like '90s, vast majority of average Americans had 0 interest in Japan, then people who did a lot could be a little "strange." They were definitely very different from average Americans by the fact they liked Japan alone.

I still speak crappy English but during my first few years here, my English was really really bad.Who wasts to make friends with an Asian who speaks crappy English?Nobody but those Japan/Asia loving, a bit different peopleor guys who think Japanese girls are easy and hungry for White and/or Black guys.

I started to avoid those Japan/Asia loving people as soon as I started to speak half way decent English.I do not say those Japan loving people were bad people,many people are a little different, including me,and still can be very nice.However, I felt like becoming a catalogue of Japanwhen I talked with them.Those people wanted to talk to me not because of my personality, my talent or my thought but simply because of me being a Japanese.I did not like that.

If you go to Japan, and if you a Caucasian including a Caucasian looking Hispanic or an American born Black,you get some or lots of attention from Gaijin loving Japanese.They love to talk to you because they see glamorous images ofAmerican and/or European cultures behind you. Eventually not all but some of you may feel the same way that I felt,"Do these Japanese like me only because I am a White/Black?I do not represent entire America nor I am not a catalogue of American cultures either."But unfortunately if you speak only crappy Japanese,usually those are only Japanese you can make friends with.Or some Gaijins seem to be addicted to the attentions they getfrom Gaijin loving Japanese.

But one thing you should remember,do not generalize Japanese only by hearing from or looking atwhat those Gaijin loving Japanese say or do.they do not represent majority of Japanesethough much more Japanese like Gaijins because Japanese love American/European culturescompared to the number of Americans who are into Japanese culture.So Japanese who are really into Gaijins are not strange as American who are really into Japanese cultures, I guess.

Interestingly it seems that it could be much easier for me to make Gaijin friends in Japan than in U.S.

自己紹介

I love animals, especially cats and Shiba inus. I love flowers too. Not having much reason to live, this depressive solitary nerd is too lazy to die. I think I would become a ghost and keep looking for my cats after my death.